A Good Nights Sleep
by ariasalvatore
Summary: Aria is having doubts about her relationship with Ezra when she runs in to Jason and realises what she wants. Will she face her true feelings and tell them both the truth?
1. Chapter 1

Jason came home to find Aria sitting at his porch. She looked up at him when she heard him walking up the stairs.

"Aria, what are you doing here?"

"I know I shouldn't be here but lately I've been feeling like everything around me is falling apart, then I thought of when I was young and had a crush on my best friend's big brother and I just felt like I would feel comfortable here. It's probably too late, I should just go home and call Ezra."

"You're still with the teacher?"

"Well I guess, we had a big fight over something that may actually break us."

"What happened?" Aria didn't know whether to tell Jason or not. She knew she could trust him with absolutely anything, but this wasn't just her secret. This was something personal between her and her boyfriend and she knew that Jason had had feelings for her in the past and did not know what it would take to bring them back up. She also didn't know whether she could restrain herself if they did.

"Well Ezra recently found out that he has a kid, and at first he was scared but now he's so happy about it, and I want to be happy for him I do but it's changed everything, I am seventeen years old I cannot help raise a child that is more likely to be seen as a little brother than a son. If people see me with him they won't know what to think, I can't raise a child Jason."

"Well is Ezra asking you to raise his child?"

"No I guess not. He just wants me to be there to support him because he loves me and I love him too I just don't know what to do. My mom thinks that we should take a break; that sometimes the people we love need space, but I don't want space."

"Aria, I don't know what to say. It's your choice; it's your relationship." Aria didn't know what to think about Ezra and Malcolm but she did know that right now looking at Jason, watching him be considerate and not trying to ruin her relationship only wanted it to be over more so that she could feel the way she knew she wanted to and tell Jason how much he means to her. She wasn't the type of girl to cheat on anyone or try and hurt anyone purposefully so she knew exactly what she needed to do.

"I'm going to go Jason. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Jason watched her walked away and hoped that she would come back tomorrow and he could tell her that his feelings have not changed in the slightest.

Aria was walking home thinking constantly about Jason. She was thinking about his eyes and the way he looked at her like she was the only person on the planet. She was thinking about how ridiculously hot he was and how she knew that he would make her happy in every way. She was thinking about how he was the sweetest guy and so protective of her and her friends because they were friends with Ali and are the same age as her. She stopped walking and suddenly realised where she was. She wasn't at home, she had ended up at Ezra's and she knew why she had ended up here. She knew what she needed to do no matter how much it hurt. She went up to his apartment and knocked on the door. Ezra opened it and smiled, so happy to see her which made everything she was about to say and do so much worse.

"You don't normally knock, you have a key!"

"Oh yeah right, I need to talk to you Ezra."

"Can it wait till tomorrow? Malcolm's asleep and I really don't want to wake him."

"No, it can't. Can we just talk out here please?"

"Sure." Ezra was starting to feel worried; if it was important enough to have to have the conversation in the hallway then it can't be good news.

"Aria, is this going to be what I think it's going to be? Because Malcolm's no trouble really and you wouldn't have to do that much, not like a mother figure more like a friend, and I really do not want to lose you from my life."

"Ezra... It's not just Malcolm; in fact it's not Malcolm at all. He's the sweetest kid on the entire planet and he's so lucky to have a Dad like you, he really is. I would happily have him as my family. This is about you and me and how I have been feeling. You're a good guy, you're the best guy. But lately i've been feeling different, this no longer feels right."

"Aria I-"

"Do you remember when you wanted us to break up because your old friend from college said that it was a bad idea? Do you remember what I said?"

"You said that it didn't feel wrong. That it felt right, and that it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. Then why does it matter now?"

"This isn't about what other people think; even my Dad's starting to cool off on the idea of us. This is about how I feel, it no longer feels right. Not because of our age difference that has never mattered to me and you know it, I feel like we've been drifting apart for a while now and I just can't do this anymore.

"Aria... please, I gave up everything for you."

"Are you saying that because of that I should feel guilty? That I should stay with you?!"

"No of course not I'm saying that I would gladly do it all over again; for you. You mean more to me than you will ever know and that hasn't changed and to me it still feels right."

"Well it doesn't for me Ezra, and believe me I'm sorry, but I just can't." And with that she left because she could not bear to watch him fall apart anymore. He just stood there and watched her walk out of his life, hoping that she would turn around and tell him that she had made a mistake. But she didn't, Aria knew she couldn't turn around because it would hurt her too much to watch him crumple. He meant so much to her, her first real love. He would always be that, no matter how far apart they were.

Aria ran up the stairs when she got home and collapsed onto her bed. She buried her face in her pillow and tried her best not to cry. Even though it was her choice it would always hurt to end a relationship, especially with someone you loved so much. She kept moving around, she knew that she couldn't wallow; she also knew that she would never be able to sleep. Everything was too loud and too focused, she needed to go somewhere so that she could be alone with her thoughts and think about what she was going to do next. How she was going to tell her friends and her parents that she had broken up with her teacher boyfriend that none of them really approved of. How she was going to explain to the people that didn't know why she was so upset, because she couldn't exactly tell them the truth. Aria could feel the tears running down her face. She had to leave. She grabbed her phone and her coat and left, leaving no explanation with her family. She started running when she got out the house, where she did not know but she knew it was as far away from anyone that would question her or why she was crying. Or so she thought. After about ten minutes she ran into someone, she fell to the floor as she was only small and the other person was apparently quite large.

"Aria, I'm sorry! Let me help you."

"Thank you! Jason? What are you doing here?"

"Erm the same as you? Running, I do it every night, helps me think." Aria mentally hit herself; that was a bit of a stupid question. They both lived in the same town and she knew Jason ran on a regular basis, she used to watch him when she was young.

"Are you ok? You seem kind of distracted." Jason was looking at her with such a worried look on his face that she burst it all out on one stream of words that she knew he would find it difficult to keep up with.

"No, no I'm really not ok. I just broke up with Ezra, and yes I know it was my choice and I shouldn't be upset because I wanted this but he was still my boyfriend and I still loved him very much and now I don't know what to do and I don't know what to tell people and I can't possibly stay at home tonight because there is so many things in my room that remind me of him which used to make me happy but not just make me want to fall apart at the seams and I just don't know what to do."

"Ok erm wow. I don't really know what to say about most of that, but there's a guest room in my house which will solve your sleeping problems; come on." Aria followed him like a lost puppy, she didn't mean to spill her guts out but it was Jason and she could trust him and now she had somewhere to sleep so everything was better.

When Jason opened the door to the guest room Aria immediately choked because of the strong smell of paint.

"Damn it, I thought the smell would have gone by now. I redecorated a week ago."

"It's fine, I'll just sleep on the couch."

"You're not sleeping on the couch Aria! You can share my bed it'll be fine. Just don't try any funny business." Jason winked at her and she managed a weak laugh but in her head she was panicking. She knew the reason she had wanted to break up with Ezra in the first place was because of her feelings for Jason and honestly didn't know how she was supposed to spend the night with him and not give this away. She could only hope for the best.

Jason rolled over and looked at her like he always did.

"_Morning beautiful," he said whilst giving her the biggest smile. Aria wanted to say it back but she didn't have time for that. She was so focused on him and what she wanted from him. She rolled him over so that she was lying on top of him and kissed him on the nose._

"_Morning." She grinned, knowing what affect she could have on him. He took her face between his hands and kissed her, there was so much passion between the two of them Aria didn't know if she could control herself for much longer. Jason knew this and rolled them over so he was now propped up on his elbows above her. He grinned as he slowly made his way down her stomach._

Aria woke abruptly, realising what she was dreaming about. She smiled to herself wishing that it was true. She lay back down facing the middle of the bed, Jason's back. He rolled over obviously having been woken up by her sudden movements.

"Are you alright? Bad dream?"

"Actually no. It was a great dream."

"Good in that case, go back to sleep! It's three in the morning and I can't be dealing with this."

"Ok, night Jason." Aria smiled to herself. It was not yet morning which meant that her dream could still come true. She turned over and hoped that Jason will have changed his mind about the 'funny business' by the morning. She knew what she wanted.

_**I don't know whether to make this a one shot or continue so can you please comment below what you think? Much appreciated. **_


	2. Chapter 2

Aria woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. She smiled to herself remembering where she was and the dreams she had had the night before. She glanced at her phone and saw that she had three missed calls from Ezra and plenty of texts. Even that didn't put a downer on her mood because just then Jason walked in with a big mug of coffee.

"Morning you."

"Good morning Jason." Aria smiled at him as he gave her the coffee, she took a big sip before putting it down to let it cool down slightly. She wondered whether Jason felt about her in the way she felt about him, she knew he had used to, he'd even kissed her but then she was completely in love with Ezra. There was nothing between the two of them; it was before they had even told her parents. Everything was so much simpler when you were just a girl in love, and Aria hoped she could be again, but maybe with someone different.

"So... it's Saturday and I assume you have nothing planned as you're all sad and stuff, so what do you want to do?"

"Yes I'm sad thanks for pointing that out Jason. How about we just spend the day here?"

"I'd love to. I have to go out for about an hour first. I'll see you in a bit ok, just make yourself comfortable." Jason hugged her and left, he really was resisting the urge to kiss her on the forehead but he thought she might not want that. Neither of them knew that they wanted exactly the same thing; each other. Aria had no idea what Jason needed to do for an hour, but she knew she had to call her best friends and tell them the bad/good news. She had broken up with Ezra but she was still happy in her own way. She decided to send them a group text message as it was easier.

"Hey girls! I have to tell you all something and it's probably easier to do if we're all together. Can you come over to the Dilaurentis's for a bit?" After she sent it she realised they would probably be confused about the location of their meet, but Aria would explain in the best way that she could. She was right, when Hanna received her text she obviously told her mom she had to go and see someone, but was wondering why Aria was at Jason's house. Spencer felt exactly the same, but Emily was the only one who knew about what had happened last year. She didn't know that Jason had kissed Aria after confessing his feelings; she only knew that Aria had dreamt about him and had some sort of feelings for him. This was a long time ago though; maybe Aria was at Jason's for a different reason. All Emily knew was that Aria seemed to need them, so she said goodbye to her mom and left for the Dilaurentis's.

When Aria heard the knock on the door she ran to the door. All of her friends were there waiting for her to open the door, she found it odd that they had all got there at the exact same time but hey this was Rosewood. They were all looking at her like they were so worried.

"Don't worry guys it's not bad news. Well it is, but I don't feel like it is. I feel like it will really help me become who I want to be, you know."

"No Aria we don't, you still haven't told us." Spencer was starting to get frustrated, ever since A started tormenting them again she was ridiculously paranoid that everything would be bad and could hurt them in some way.

"Spence don't worry, it's just about me. I broke up with Ezra." All the girls looked at her in shock, but Hanna was the most surprised.

"WHAT?! Aria, what? Just a few days ago you were on about how much you loved him and how you didn't want his child to change how he felt about you or to change your relationship! Is this because of Malcolm? He's just a little boy Aria."

"It's not because of Malcolm Hanna! And why do you care so much, you're supposed to care about me not my relationship with your old English teacher. I did not break up with Ezra because he has a son; I broke up with Ezra because I don't. Because I'm seventeen years old and because I don't have to be tied down to the same person for the rest of my life. Yes I loved Ezra so much, and I might be with him again someday; but for now I want to try and live my life. Ezra may be the person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with but I will not know that until I have met other people and had other relationships." The girls all looked at her speechless. Aria only ever goes off on a rant when she really means something so they all knew that this was important to her. Spencer could probably say that she knew Aria the best out of the girls, and she knew that this was about something else too.

"It's not just that is it Aria? You've already met somebody else that you'd like to be with. You have feelings for someone else?" Aria didn't reply; she only smiled as she saw Jason walking up the driveway.

Jason made himself and Aria some lunch as she was saying goodbye to Emily, Spencer and Hanna had already left. Jason knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but listen in on their conversation as he was cooking.

"It's ok Em; we know that he's not a bad guy. Last year was completely different. I'll talk to you later ok?" He heard Emily mumble something and then the door open and shut. Could they have been talking about him? Last year they were unsure of him as he had just returned and there was the whole thing with the pictures of Aria. Could Aria have told Emily something about him? Jason secretly hoped that they were talking about him, because he really did want to spend a lot more time with Aria. Just then Aria came into the kitchen. Jason turned around and smiled at her.

"Just in time, food's ready." Aria grinned.

"Good, I'm starving." They sat in silence while they ate. They both were thinking about the other person and about whether they wanted each other or not. Jason picked up both their dishes and put them in the sink.

"So what do you want to do now?" Aria smiled to herself, she knew exactly what she wanted to do, and she wanted what she had dreamt about last night. However she couldn't exactly suggest that. It may seem a bit forward. Jason wanted the same thing even though neither of them knew. He decided he would push it, after hearing the conversation between Emily and Aria he thought maybe he would have a shot with Aria. He needed to act on his feelings otherwise she would find someone else who loved her, because she was amazing.

"Aria, I need to tell you something. I-" Aria started to interrupt but Jason stopped her.

"No, let me finish please. This is important, well it is for me anyway. I like you, I really like you. You remember last when I told you I cared about you? I never stopped. I still hope that you maybe feel the same way. I always have hoped that one day you'd realise that I am good for you; I will always be good for you. You were always someone I could trust, even when I didn't trust myself. I told you things I have still never told anyone. Aria, I think I love you." Aria looked up at him, and stepped closer towards him.

"You think?" Jason grinned; he couldn't believe she was questioning him.

"I know." Aria smiled at him before replying. She knew exactly what she wanted to say she just couldn't get the words out. She was in shock, how does anybody stay in love with someone for a year, especially when that person barely spoke to them since and was in a relationship; especially when that person was her.

"Jason... I care about you too. I mean I more than just care about you, I just I don't know what to say I'm speechless which never happens to me and I just it's so..." Jason just smiled as she mumbled on about how she didn't know how to get her words out properly. All Jason had heard was that she cared about him too, in the way that he had always wanted her to.

"Aria, thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you." Jason smiled at her and she grinned back. Aria was happy that maybe she'd finally be able to be with Jason Dilaurentis. To go on a date with him and spend as much time with him as she could. Jason grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes.

"Care to follow me, Miss Montgomery?" Aria giggled and allowed herself to be pulled into Jason's bedroom.

"Jason you know you have only just pronounced your love for me, if I'm honest I think we should follow traditions."

"And what traditions would they be?"

"Well I'd like to be taken on a real date please, maybe a big romantic gesture."

"I think both making you lunch and then telling you I've always been in love with you was fairly romantic. I've been trying to tell you for while now. It's not my fault you had a boyfriend."

"Well I no longer have a boyfriend." Aria giggled and ran out of his room; he chased her and heard her shout.

"And I will not have one until a dreamy senior has taken me out on a date."

"I'm not a senior."

"You were when I was young and had a crush on you."

"When you had pink hair." Aria smiled.

"When I had pink hair." They looked at each other and Jason remembered one of the first times he spoke to her after he had moved back for good. She was looking for her brother and she appeared at the basketball court. He had taken her by surprise, but he was not prepared for how much she had changed, she was beautiful. The way she stood and held herself was so elegant and she had so much grace. He had felt something then, and it had not left since. He would do anything to be with her forever.

"Ok, I promise I will take you on a romantic date and perform some big gesture to show you how much I care. If you give me something in return that is."

"And what would that be Mr Dilaurentis?"

"Kiss me." Jason stepped forward so their noses were less than an inch away from each other. Aria could feel him breathing. Aria sucked in her breath and could feel her heart beating as if it were a hummingbird. Aria had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach him. She closed her eyes and felt his lips against hers. They were warm but soft and Aria yearned for more but she stopped herself. She pulled away from Jason but stayed just as close to him as she was before.

"Now you owe me a date." Aria whispered, and this time she could feel his heart racing. She knew that this was going to be a very interesting weekend.

_**Any comments? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**_


End file.
